BALTIMORE — Hello from Camden Yards, where tonight the new-look Battle of Beltways continues with the series shifting north 45 miles. This is the new wrinkle of interleague rivalry play this season, and I have to say I kind of like how this worked out. Baseball doesn't normally do "home-and-home" series, other than in the postseason, so this has a distinctly different feel to it.

The series, of course, is knotted at one game apiece after the Nationals thumped the Orioles last night. Tonight, they'll give the ball to Jordan Zimmermann, seeking to become the majors' first 9-game winner. He'll be going up against a tough Orioles lineup, though, one that we've already seen do some damage the last two nights.

Chris Tillman starts for Baltimore, facing a Nationals lineup that is again without Bryce Harper but does have Danny Espinosa back after five straight days off to let his fractured right wrist try to heal. Chad Tracy, meanwhile, has the honor of serving as DH for this game in the AL park.

Looks like the same umpire crew in Baltimore as we had in Washington. Since I didn't see last night's game on TV, I couldn't tell how Hallion did behind the plate. But I take it from the low amount of player protest that the zone wasn't too bad, or?

I just don't know what I think of this lineup. Bernie and Moore appear to be heating up. The Espi thing is a conundrum wrapped inside an enigma. Aside from how he plays defense or hits, I just don't get why they are pushing it when the sub is adequate and driving in runs. Up and down off the bench and in and out of the lineup. If your batting eye is bad and your timing is off, that's a nightmare scenario. A nice rehab stint might be good medicine for a lost hitter.

The strike zone was bad, but nobody complained because it's expected. Both pitchers got squeezed A LOT. In the 1st inning, Karns threw a ball right down the middle above the knees that Machado looked at. Called a ball. IT WAS RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE! But young pitchers always get squeezed so…

Really, Espi back in the lineup? Why change when we scored 9 runs last night? I get the DH addition, but quit yanking Lombo's chain. I get that he's "only" batting .229 for the month of May, but Espi is at .150. Keep Espi on the bench.

SOFA!!!!You had asked about buying Diamond club seats. One comment: If you buy Diamond Club seats straight from the Nats, you will be buying the subpar Diamond Club Tickets. You only get into the TENT OUTSIDE THE DIAMOND CLUB for food and drink. IF you get the tickets from a STH you get the REAL Diamond Club. That's a new twist this year

Almost had the whole lineup – Kinda wish Lombo was in there batting 2nd and playing left. I just don't see Bernadina handling that #2 spot well but what do I know. I did have Espinosa down in #9 but that is about the only place you could put him, the way he was swinging the bat. I guess the good news is that Zimmnn does not give up as many fly balls as Haren. We will now have 4 guys in the lineup hitting under .200 which I think is a joke for a team picked to win it all.Sonny G – you probably didn't see my earlier post but I have Espinosa hitting 9th not only in the AL parks but when we switch back to NL games as well. That is where my confidence with him is right now. I will be happy to eat crow later but not right now.Go Nats!!

This team just isn't being fair to Lombo, man. Really isn't. We've been waiting on Espy for years, and all Lombo does when he's started recently is field well and drive in runs. What the hell is the rush to re-install the worst offensive player in baseball? I guess nobody noticed that the offense came alive when they pulled him out of the lineup.

About the only positive about this is that we could and I will again say "could" have two really fast guys on the bases if Espinosa gets hit by a pitch or something and Span follows with a hit. I will stop now, no sense beating up on a nice young man like Espinosa but I do feel for Lombo.

Don't just look at Lombo's average as of now. Look at his last 6. His average with risp is ridiculously high and he has been driving in runs. If Espi comes back with that huge swing , not making contact, we just can't carry that. Hate to see a hitter who has been getting better daily sit back down. Has had a couple multi- hit games lately. I just feel that with Espi's shoulder, wrist, eye, swing, this does not look promising. Maybe the days off were a good mental health break? Maybe? Does any one player have more people praying for him to make contact?

On a non-game note, if you haven't already read the article Mark linked to earlier (as seen in his Tweeter updates box at the top of the page), you might want to do so. It's about a unique pitch with a, um, unique name.

Lombardozzi has started in the last five games in a row. He had one day off and one pinch-hitting appearance, and then before that he had another stretch of nine straight starts. So relax, Lombo fans. Nobody's yanking his chain. He's getting more playing time at the major league level than any man hitting .234/.254/.561 with limited range and no arm has a right to expect. Just because you hate Espinosa is no reason to pitch a fit about a guy who makes outs in 3/4ths of his plate appearances not getting his 15th start in the last 16 games.

I hate to be Debbie Downer but I hope Schmuckanoza goes 0 for the rest of his career. As I have said earlier he is now my least favorite player of all time; bypassing Bonds, McGwire, Sosa, and Palmeiro.

Why would you hope "Schmuckanoza" goes 0 for the rest of his career when he's on our team? Does your hate or Espi really warrant hurting the team? That is one of the more idiotic things I've seen on here.

Bowdenball – no question Lombo is under performing. But, relative to Espi's .150 BA, he's the one that deserves to start. He's made the plays at 2B, puts the ball in play, advances the runner, and (while this is purely observational) doesn't kill rallies. No hate on Espi here (I even have his shirt) just plain realization that something is amiss, either physically or mentally, that is affecting his ability to hit the ball.

Well played bowdenball, that's what called "perspective" I guess. My fear of course, is that Danny gets 20+ more games to show what we already know — he's not going to improve this year. And by then we'll really be behind the 8-ball for in the division. I will be thrilled to be proved wrong. I really will. But I had a bad feeling about Espi ,as soon as we found out about the rotator cuff.I thought Tracy might get the call at DH vs. a RH. Remember in 2011 when Davey gave Matt Stairs 3 starts at 1B to try to get him going? That was his last chance. On that note, some interesting trivia, what player on the current Nats roster also played in the Nats' very first game at RFK in 2005?

"Make that .234/.254/.306. Apparently Lombo's slugging percentage is so bad that I keep getting confused when I look at it."%%%%%%%%%Isn't Espinosa's slash line/slugging percentage even worse? .163/.196/.291? Can't you rather logically question the wisdom of starting Espi over Lombo without being labeled a Espi hater?

The way I read it, bowdenball took issue with the idea that Lombo isn't being given a fair chance, not the idea that it's unwise to question the wisdom of starting Espi over Lombo.Anyway, it seems like a lot of managers have this weird idea that playing slumping batters is the best way to get them out of a slump…but what do they know?

ptindc-It's fine to prefer Lombo, but quoting their batting averages doesn't really help your cause. All of the things that Espinosa could/should do better than Lombo- take walks, hit for power, play outstanding defense- are not reflected in batting average.Of course Espi has only been doing one of those things this year. So I definitely get that most people prefer Lombo. But I don't get the outrage that he's sitting tonight after getting a ton of playing time in the last couple weeks. As JD just said, we're not talking about benching Brandon Phillips for Espinosa here.

"He has already hurt the team enough by being devious about his injuries and being so selfish."As I said in a previous thread, I think a lot of folks are making a lot of 30,000' assumptions about both the extent of Espi's injuries and the extent of his "lying" about them.

I tend to believe the team knows about injuries more than we think. It's rare that something that probably all the other players know about can truly stay hidden for long. FP mentioned on-air that he suspected or heard about Espi's wrist being at least not right (if not outright broken) long before the news came out. If he knew, you can bet Davey and Rizzo heard about it.I imagine Espi's in for defense with our frequently-putting-the-ball-in-play ace on the mound, which I'm reasonably okay with. I'd prefer Tyler not in the outfield for that reason, but we're not exactly spoiled for choice in that area right now with Werth and Harper unavailable.

Eric, There is an incredible amount of medical opinion here and if you listen to sports radio in my area (New York) you will note that this is fairly universal. Every fan who has followed a sport for more than 1 month thinks that he/she knows more about injuries than the guys who went to med school and who do this for a living. My approach is to avoid expressing opinions about things I know very little about.

Bowdenball-I would like nothing more than an Espi resurrection – starting tonight. I am concerned there are larger issues affecting his play and he either is not owning them, or management is complicit in overlooking them. I think this is a lot worse than a slump, Eric. LaRoche had a slump, this is something else.

Traveler – Nope, Livo did not fly into OPACY this morning to tutor Nate Karns before his next start. It was none other than Chad Tracy, who was starting his second, and what proved to be his best, season with the Arizona Diamonbacks.

Isn't Espinosa's slash line/slugging percentage even worse? .163/.196/.291? Can't you rather logically question the wisdom of starting Espi over Lombo without being labeled a Espi hater? Sure, one can logically question it. But those above who are claiming that his chain is getting yanked, or hoping Espi goes 0-for-life . . . that doesn't seem to be "logically questioning"Bottom line is this: they _both_ have a negative WAR. This isn't benching a stud for a weakling. This is playing a guy who's having a bad year at the plate, but great in the field, in place of a guy who's having a mediocre year at the plate, and who's pretty good in the field.

On the other hand, Roger batting second is…well. Oh, that on-base percentage. Has he taken a walk all year? Actually, checking the numbers he's had 4, which is kind of shocking to me. Of course, that's in 76 plate appearances.Also, I posted something in the other thread about Gio's inconsistency that I'm going to bring over just for my own satisfaction -I tend to wonder if Gio's has some slight nagging injury that's not bad enough for the DL (especially given our other starter options) but that's throwing him off. He's not been bad in May (his ERA before the last start against Baltimore was under 2 for May and is still only 2.48 for the month), he's just been inconsistent and occasionally loses control. It's possible that's physical.(I think the same with Haren – his back does not seem right, from watching him try to field, and that's probably leading to inconsistency. And Detwiler – who, we now know, was dealing with back tightness as well around the time he became more hittable. But I suspect they're DLing Det rather than Haren because they have one for several more years and want to protect their resource and really only have to consider the short-term for the other.)It's also possible that's Gio's just regressed a bit this year, but will still be a very good pitcher. Just not quite finalist-for-a-Cy-Young good. It's the rare pitcher that can do that consistently every year; not everyone can be Kershaw.

See Daddy's boy (Espi) is back at 2B! What do you have to do to play for Davey? When you are one of his favorites, anything goes. I said then and I still say Baltimore made the best choice for a Manager. We could have hired Buck and would have been better for it.

I gave Schmuckanoza the benefit of the doubt until this week when the announcement of the injury was admitted. After that I have no more sympathy. He should have had surgery over the winter. He should have gone on DL for his hand. If its that bad he should have told people. The point is he didn't. Get him out of here he can't be trusted.

Slugging percentage is a poor stat to look at for a lead off guy or contact hitter. It 's more of a factor for your middle of the order power guys– extra base hits. I don't consider that to be important for either 2b. I like the contact hitting with risp rather than the whiffs. If Danny works his way up to a middle of the order guy then he can swing for the fences. Hitters at different parts of the order have roles. I would not look at slugging percentage for Span, either, I would look at on- base, how many pitches seen. We are very lucky to have both as I don't really see how Espi can or should play every day because of his shoulder and bone chip.

He did not go to the Nats about his shouder until late January. He could have told them his hand was hurting but he didn't. How many runs were cost by that. He was aked if he was hurt many times. Always said no.

Dang, 222. I was just about to guess that, because I knew he'd played with AZ back in the day. Give us a little more time on the next one. ;-)Section 222 said… Traveler – Nope, Livo did not fly into OPACY this morning to tutor Nate Karns before his next start. It was none other than Chad Tracy, who was starting his second, and what proved to be his best, season with the Arizona Diamonbacks. May 29, 2013 5:03 PM

JD, bully for you. But why don't we ask Jesus Flores how he feels about those MDs who do this for a living? And Espi's case is special because he plays (badly) through pain rather than getting the diagnosis and treatment he needs to recover. First, the shoulder — Espi found out two weeks after the season ended that he had a torn rotator cuff, after playing (badly) with pain throughout September and the playoffs. Then the wrist — the initial x-ray didn't reveal the fracture and Espi waits six weeks, again playing (badly) through pain before requesting another exam that showed what was wrong. The medical guys didn't make him do that in either case. That was all him.

…seriously, why are you so sure they didn't know?For what it's worth, I agree that Espinosa should probably be on the DL with the number of injuries that he has. But to assume that it's all Espinosa's fault is to ignore that Rizzo and Davey make the roster and lineup decisions every day, and they decided he should play. If they are making the decision not to DL him now *knowing for sure* that they know he's got bone chips and a torn rotator cuff, why should we assume it was Espi withholding info that was preventing them from doing so before?

Wonk, you're right, the initial x-ray missed the break. And Em-Dash, you're right, some people knew that Espi's wrist was still bothering him. But the point is that only Danny knew how bad the pain was. Only he could say, "hey, I need someone to take a look at this wrist again because it's hurts like hell and it's not getting better." Instead, he plays through pain even though he's hurting the team. In my mind, that's not admirable, that's selfish.

Section 222 wrote:"Wonk, you're right, the initial x-ray missed the break. And Em-Dash, you're right, some people knew that Espi's wrist was still bothering him. But the point is that only Danny knew how bad the pain was. Only he could say, "hey, I need someone to take a look at this wrist again because it's hurts like hell and it's not getting better." Instead, he plays through pain even though he's hurting the team. In my mind, that's not admirable, that's selfish."From what I've heard, everyone, down to FP Santangelo, knew Espinosa was hurting. He didn't hide it. And he's the one who asked for a second X-ray. I don't want to pick a fight here, but I really don't see that the facts show that Danny is being selfish.

And back to last night– as if the pitching wasn't enough of a surprise, Moore and Bernie back to back? With their batting averages?? Indeed! As I noted with oddities towards the beginning of this thread, they had a combined OPS+ of 30!

(reposting, because I forgot to include the first line, which is:)Oddities of the day!Pirates, Pirates.- Jason Grilli had a one-run lead to protect for the bottom of the 11th, and facing Torii Hunter, Miguel Cabrera, and Prince Fielder. He struck out all three. He's 21-for-21 in saves.- Pirates have a .615 win pct, which would put them in first place in every division except their own — where they are in third place.- Rick Porcello of the Tigers had four starts in April (plus one relieft appearance). He had a total of 8 K's. Last night he had 11 K's (and no runs — in 8 innings). TIgers eventuall lost in 11. To the Pirates. 1-0. See, above, Jason Grilli.- Jonathan Papelbon has now gone 18 consecutive appearances without allowing a run. (He's been in 19 games).- Eight MLB players have more saves than the Marlins have wins — including former Marlins middle reliever Edward Mujica.- Luis Cruz entered yesterday's game with a slash line of .105/.138/.105 in 81 PA's. Worst OPS of anybody (over 80 PAs) by nearly 200 points. He hit a homer.And, speaking of odd homers, we need to include our own:- Tyler Moore (OPS+ of 28) and Roger Bernadina (OPS+ of 2) hit back to back homers. What are the odds of _that_?!

Stupid. Stupid. Lombo is just as good on defense as Espi and, right now since he's heating up, he's much better on offense. Tom Boswell is right. Do a LaRoche on Espinosa- i.e., shut him down for the rest of the year & get him the shoulder surgery he obviously needs.

As much as I don't trust Espy and think theres a deeper story here that we dont know lets give him a chance to see for a few days if he can contribute. I have my doubts but as someone said to Nats Guy lets do it for the sake of the team.

IKN — Exactly. He didn't hide it, but he kept playing, which means he was telling people he was ok to play. I don't know if literally everyone knew he was hurting (Carp acted surprised, while FP claimed he knew all along), but only Espi knew that the wrist wasn't getting any better a whole month after the injury. Did he ask for another x-ray then? No. Instead, he went on the West Coast road trip mired in a slump that only got worse and still hasn't ended. Did he ask for the x-ray after the LA series? No. Did he ask for it after the SD series. No. He kept playing. And playing horribly. I do wish the Davey or someone on the medical staff, knowing that wrist was still bothering him, had strongly urged him to get another x-ray. I don't know why that didn't happen. But he's the one who knew the wrist wasn't getting better. It was selfish of him to keep playing and not get it checked out. I'm not trying to pick a fight either. I just think the evidence is compelling that this is not a team player.

My feeling about all if these young guys is that they do not have the best judgement, maybe Jayson does. Harper, Espi– they are going to want to go out there and play. Cooler heads need to prevail. Even if you respect their toughness, you can't give in and risk it. Say no, please.

I'm cynical enough to believe that the Nats sat Danny for the home series because he is the lightening rod for a weak offense and they did not want him booed.Lombo won two of those games with his bat and played well on D. I'm beyond believing that the Nats will give him a shot. Like Morse, Lombo is not their kind of guy for some reason. He will do very well elsewhere. Lots of teams would love to have a player like this on the field every day.

I don't understand this notion that Morse isn't "their type of guy." He was traded in a contract year, that's hardly unprecedented. Adam LaRoche has performed better this year. I love Morse, and he left on good terms. He wasn't traded because we hate him, we traded him because we had better options and he was in a contract year.

So with the all the uncertainty about what Espinosa knew (and when) and what Davey knew (and when) and what Rizzo knew (and when) and what the doctors knew (and when) and what they all said to the press (or didn't), perhaps we need to get Darrell Issa onto the case?

Every time he went to the plate with bases loaded and his shoulder and wrist hurting he was being selfish and a bad teammate. How many losses and runs did he cost them. If they are short for the playoffs he should be run off the team. He should not be playing now.

Caps Fan said… So is a player selfish if he plays through pain, or only when he plays through pain and fails to produce? Was Curt Schilling selfish playing through pain in the bloody sock game? And how is a player supposed to know if he's going to be able to produce when he's playing through pain unless he plays through pain in the first place? Isn't it ultimately the manager's decision on who gets to play? If a player wants to play through pain but his manager won't let him, is he still selfish? So many questions…

This was part of the last WaPo NJ post, on the lineups: "Second baseman Danny Espinosa, playing for the first time since the Nationals diagnosed a bone chip in his right wrist, which he played through — at the team’s insistence — for more than a month." Any thoughts on "at the team's insistence"?

I thought about running over to Pfitzner to watch Jayson, but I figure he will have one at bat, maybe not any plays in the field. Maybe tomorrow if he is ok. I am nervous about him. Hamstrings and obliques are very persistent.

What I am really looking forward to tonight is Jordan pitch. He is such a bulldog. I want him to be our representative in the AS game. I would love it if we have more going (Hopefully Harp goes).Does anyone know about the O's Pitcher- Tillman? I really don't follow the AL, so wondering if we have a good matchup tonight?

"baseballswami said… Davey is an assistant coach for the ASG. you know we will have someone pitching. Casual fan wants Stras, knowledgeable fan wants JZim."Fans have no input on the pitchers for the ASG, whether they're smart or whether they're not.

222 said,"I thought Tracy might get the call at DH vs. a RH. Remember in 2011 when Davey gave Matt Stairs 3 starts at 1B to try to get him going? That was his last chance. "IIRC Riggleman was still managing the Nats in May 2011 when this happened. Same weekend series Jason Marquis went off on Riggs in the dugout when he was pulled from a start in the 4th inning before getting enough innings to qualify for a win on his record.

From Kilgore:After sitting out the last five games, second baseman Danny Espinosa faced a choice. He could rest for the next three weeks or so and allow the fracture in his right wrist to fully heal. Or he could return tonight and play through pain, allowing the bone chip to heal slowly, leaving him at less than 100 percent.For Espinosa, the decision was easy.“I don’t have three weeks to sit,” Espinosa said.Wow.

Hunter: Bla bla our pitcher is so great, screams for the K of Bernadina in the 1st inning of a 0-0 game. Zim: HomerunFP: There goes the no-hitterCalm that Hunter Orioles lover down FP.I think Carpenter calls a much more neutral game when they do these horrible MASN combined crew games

Just tuned in … What In the World is Espinosa doing playing?Does he own his position? Is this fair to Lombo? Is this fair to the team? What is with this organization, with Davey? Loyalty is one thing: but a hitter the quality of Espi whose last 1000 at bats are hovering on the Mendoza line is owed not an ounce of loyalty.Not to mention, how can Espinosa play with a fractured hand? I can't believe this management. I think I'm almost done with this stupid, silly management.

Sorry, but I think Lombo would have made that play. Espi has great range but his judgement and execution often costs the team in ways that do not show up in the often generious scoring. He wanted to turn the doubleplay so much that he failed to field the ball that skitters into the outfield. And there are all the times that Espi ranges well to field a grounder but then can't get the ball out of his glove because he is in such a needless hurry.Sorry, I pull for him. He did have one good period of a few months but I see no signs of it returning at the plate and his defence is weaker than the numbers indicate.

Bowdenball is funny. Trying to make a case for Espinosa playing is fruitless — and belongs in the Flat Earth Society.What's Espi's slugging avg, 200?haha What did Lombo hit for the last 5 games?Oh, Espi just struck out. I am hating nats management. Unfair and Baseball Stupid

Was reading Boswell this morning in the Wash Post — he gave up on Espi — says 1000 Ab's is enough of a sample to determine that Espi simply is not a major league quality losses — cut your losses — or at least play the better manOr — keep losing.

"Manassas Nats' Fan said… Far as I am concerned unearned. espi should have gotte Weiters at first and not go for the double play.Of Espi strikesout. Not sure why he is playing?"So who runs this team Scott Boras or Mike Rizzo. Given Espys words he doesnt sound ready if in fact theres anything really wrong.

I know they awarded Weiters a hit, but it was the wrong call.Had he just gone for the one out it was an easy play, but tried to circle and get a dp, an that was not the play.Chris Davis can hit a mistake with no problem.

So, Bernie's homer had to be the most surreal live baseball experience I've had. Not a single fielder reacted. Not a single person in the stands made a sound. I was sure it was foul.Then Bernie started running and boos slowly and half heartedly spread through the crowd. That was one helluva blast, though, wow!

If anyone thinks Espinosa is a team player, then think again. As long as he is in the lineup–that is all he cares about. And for reasons far beyond my understanding, management continues to support him to the detriment of the team.

MicheleS said… The entire team is laughing. Isn't that against the Bro Code??? Really?Thing is, nobody ever died from getting kicked in the nuts.I don't think so, anyway.Friend of mine got seriously drunk one night, managed to sit on and crush one of his.

Candide said… Zimmerman is washed up. Guy's lost his power. Marginal player.yep . . . especially not enough power to go the other way . . . oh, and you left out: he's so far back in the box he can't hit pitches on the outside part of the plate

What is really funny is how everyone loves Bernadina, Zimm and ALR—– NOW—- and a month ago they were all ready to be sent to trades.Lets be real. None of these guys were hitting a month ago. Laugh now as it feels good.

Wonkling here is freaking out. She's jumped up, screamed "holy $#@ — I've never seen three HR's in a game before!!"Then she said "didn't some guy in Texas hit four once?" (pretty good for someone who doesn't read anything on baseball, and everything she knows is, 100% just from watching Nats games (and what her dad tells her )

Let's recap some very recent Legion of Doom remarks, shall we?The Orioles will sweep the Nats. The Nats suck. What a weak hitting team. Ryan Zimmerman has lost his power stroke and is now a singles hitter playing a power position. Bernadina should be DFAed. It's great reading the remarks of the Chicken Littles…they are so knowledgeable…I think many of us feel honored to have them share their insights with us.

I was really enjoying this game…I never thought J Zim would choke like this. Terrible! Team hits and pitching SUCKS, next night pitching is great and team can not hit… mark of a crappy team going no where and letting a great fan base down. If Nats lose tonight, they will lay down like dogs tomorrow and get embarrassed in Atlanta. Davey Johnson can stick his foot in his mouth after saying team turne dthe corner

This game is on me…If I stayed at the Limerick Pub with the baseball specials, all would be well but couldn't take sitting at the bar with an o's fan to the left or me and phis phans to my right, now here I am, stuck in the middle with Slim (the dog)

if Harper is in left he catches that crap HR ball and throws out Markakis at 2nd. this game is really ticking me off now and their fans are much better than ours which pains me to say…oh well, get em tomorrow.

So I was only listening, can't judge if JZimm looked gassed. It's partly Mattheus, but also the Karns kid only going 4.1 innings, and right now you can't expect Haren to go more than 5. This is going to challenge the bullpen until Detwiler gets back.

"SCNatsFan said… So hard to be a fan of this team"A shame it's hard for some of you. I like what the Nats are all about. This is the same team that blew a 9-0 lead last year in July and went on to have the best record in the Majors.Just too many fair weathered bandwagon types.Some only show up when the going gets tough.

and we have to build with a supreme disadvantage…if Nats had the O's Cable contract, we'd be so much better.It's hard to cheer a team built by taking advantage of another team….What an evil empire built by Satan himself

jeffwx said… and we have to build with a supreme disadvantage…if Nats had the O's Cable contract, we'd be so much better.It's hard to cheer a team built by taking advantage of another team….What an evil empire built by Satan himself _________________________________________Angelos the devil incarnate. He gives away free t-shirts and the Os fans come running from Dundalk for free clothing.

One thing I will never do is support an organization built on corruption, bribes, building unfairly on the backs of another team's hard earned pay…A disgusting organization built on some of the worst aspects of human nature.And to deface the country's anthem on top of that, the anthem that so many have fought and died for…There should be an ML boycott.I will boycott MASN here on out.

Henry fails to cover first. I say, as I've said before, we've got a team with mental problems at so many levels. This is really, really hard to watch and I am embarrassed to be a fan of this team.McLouth will now steal second.

I agree, Gonat. I came home hoarse last night. I have no problem cheering them on, even if I get frustrated with them sometimes.BTW, Moore has got to stay out of Span's way. That was a lot closer to being a stupid collision then it should have been.Henry, can't cover the bag, then can't hold a runner. Errrr…

Jordan is amazing and has been on some kind of run. But– he seemed to struggle with fast ball command tonight and had several stressful innings. He was rushing. I guess he was due to have a rough start, but things spiraled quickly there. Took everyone's mind off the great Lombo/ Espi debate. Cannot believe we scored six, Ryan had three home runs!! Weird night. Wow. The highs and the lows.

"This is really, really hard to watch and I am embarrassed to be a fan of this team."Don't worry, I don't think you are a fan of this team. No need to be ashamed. Except maybe for being one of those d-bag morons who shows up only when we're losing to spread your crap. Don't worry. No one will embarrass you by thinking you're a fan.

I'd rather be a team with mental problems, than support a team built upon so much immoral foundations. Shame on you do1teach1…Is this what you stand for…An Angelos business structure where you screw everyone in your way to get what you want…Shame on you….I'd be embarrassed to support an organization that defaces what is so good about the game…shame on you and those that support such greed and corruption

"This is probably the most humiliating and demoralizing loss the Nationals have suffered since moving to DC. The team will have a difficult time recovering from this debacle."HAHAHAHA. Game 5 of the NLDS? The 8-0 loss to the Braves. This is nowhere near the worst.

Nobody here picking up on Mark's question for Davey? Why have a lefties in the bullpen if you aren't going to use him in that situation with Markakis at bat?Seems like Davey may be respecting the veteran too much. I wonder if Mark or some other beat reporter will bring it up afterwards?

I HATE the Orioles and all they stand for. This makes it much harder to take that they've built a better team than we have. But that's what they've done.I have been admonished for saying I was embarrassed to be a fan of this team tonight. Shortly after I posted that note, Charlie and Dave said it was "embarrassing" to watch McLouth steal–without a throw, when "everyone in the park knew McLouth was going on the first pitch."If you're proud of that, then please write Charlie and Dave and condemn them for being embarrassed.

Oh, I don't know — there was that Friday night vs the Braves and then there was the one where Livo gave up a ton and the Cubs came from behind. Although I have to say having Espi up last was quite poetic.

do1teach1I hear my friend, I have learned over 3 years, that there are some real shi— people in here, all they do is go after anyone who says anything negative about the Nats. these creeps were use to the 100 loss seasons and I actually think they enjoy it when the Nats lose

Wow, mick, you're no fun right now, pal.I see a huge positive tonight: Ryan Zimmerman not only hit the snot out of the ball, but made about five terrific plays at third. Harper and Werth are seriously being missed right now, but they're hopefully back very soon.I also think Ryan Mattheus really deserves a kick in the butt. His absence really limits Davey's options.

No Nats fan is proud of this loss…I have a problem claiming that the Os organization is somehow run better than the Nats…Given the way they continue to out and out steal from another organization with the Cable contract, It's remarkable they aren't better. Angelos buying the judicial system, the ML owners to continue to delay a hearing on the legality of the deal is truely a disgrace. He should be banished from the game, but he won't because he owns most of the owners.

Joe… how can you be happy, yes, Zim had a hall of fame night… and Jordan just imploded. each night it is something else…this season is a night mare because I know Rizzo will do something stupid to make this team slide back even further in 2014. This loss will symbolize the return to crappy baseball in DC and Joe the Nats QUIT in the 8th and 9th and that makes me sick!!!

Mick, I think it is ok to critisize the team just as it ok for others to rebuke anothers critiques.If you dish it out, you ought to be able to have disagreement. Should we all be all negative or all positive…of course not…We can agree to disagree.Do I like Danny in the lineup, no.Do I like Davey keeping Jordan in so long, no.Do I like what this team is doing esp when its number 2 and 3 in the starting lineup are out, yes i do.You remember the 64 season….The cards were a game under 500 at the all star break and ended up being one of the greatest teams of the decade once they got healthy and acquired castoff from the cubs named Lou Brock

its one game, haters, mick and teach, relax. give the O's credit, they hit the snot out of the ball. So did we but nothing in the late innings and perhaps Davey left in Jzim too long but the kid deserved it as one of our few bright spots thus far…get em tomorrow but to go on your tirade each night after a loss is nauseating – go start your own discussion or better yet, just text among yourselves…geeeeezzzzz!

Joe, at 9:57pm, funny…did not see your post of "hit the snot out of the ball" when i posted mine of 10:06pm even though we were referring to different people/teams…takes me way too long to finish a thought.

Thanks Mick.I think a lot of people on this board need an intervention. They confuse embarrassment with disloyalty.This team destroyed an awesome bullpen on the idiotic premise that lefty-lefty match-ups don't matter. Now look at lefty batting average against our righties in the bullpen. Embarrassing.Our relievers still do NOT HOLD RUNNERS! Why? It's embarrassing.Two seasons of Espinosa futility. Embarrassing.Morse could've easily started 25 games for us at different positions this year. But we let him go for no good reason. Embarrassing.Davey, in his presser, has now blamed "the ballbark" at least 10 times. Hmmm…were the Orioles playing in the same park as the Nats? Embarrassing.The key to an intervention is to be honest and say when the problem-family member is embarrassing the family. Right now the Nats are embarrassing their family.Accept the intervention. Denial is not just a river in Africa.